There is an increasing opinion amoungst New York solar installers that solar thermal pays for itself quicker than solar PV. Looking at the numbers I thought so too and would recommend solar thermal as a better investment if the client had to choose between solar PV and thermal. Of course it is great when the […]
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I realize concrete has huge embodied energy and creates tonnes of CO2 during it’s manufacture but I still can’t resist reading up on the uses of concrete for residential interior applications. Eco Brooklyn is guilty of making some concrete counters too. I just read Concrete at Home by the concrete fanatic Fu-Tung Chen. He has
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Here is a cool article I came along while researching alternatives to PVC. It explains in detail why PVC is really bad for everyone’s health and should not be used, especially in residential applications. Why PVC is bad news from Green Peace Globally, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in construction, in products such
The book Earth in Mind, on Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect by David Orr is dense. It took me a couple months to get through it. I could only read a couple pages at a time. It didn’t even have any pictures! I’m a picture book kind of guy. It was both deeply rewarding
This is just a heads up that Prince Lumber in Manhattan is a good place to pick up certain green building materials. I have spoken to the sales reps at Prince Lumber and they are eager to increase their green products. Recently they have started carrying Vermont Natural Coatings’ PolyWhey, which is a green wood
Local Green Building Materials Read More »
Eco Brooklyn prides itself in green roof installations on New York brownstones, condos and coops. We offer the full line of services: Structural analysis of existing roof by an engineer Removal of old roof if needed Structural reinforcing of roof if needed Installation of green roof Pergolas for solar thermal and PV panels above the
New York Green Roof Installer Read More »
The book Mannahatta, a Natural History of NYC by Eric Sanderson was the best book I read in 2009, and I must have read 40 green building books. For weeks after reading it I walked around New York in a daze, spellbound by the historical tapestry the book had woven of my surroundings. If you
Looking for an enlightened activity this summer? Maybe you should go attend the Micro Living event mentioned below. Micro Living is a great concept born in reaction to our current Out Of Control Living (my term :). Micro Living aims to reduce our consumption of inessential objects and increase our life affirming relationships (with ourselves,
Here is a cool tree house slide show. It is a far cry from Brooklyn green building. A respite from our boxy row houses.
The term Zero Brownstone is an idea I came up with during our experimentation of making the greenest brownstone renovation possible. The Zero Brownstone is based on two concepts during the deconstruction and renovation of the brownstone as well as in the finished home: Zero Waste and Zero Consumption During Construction: Zero Waste – During the deconstruction
